I Fell Into a Burning Ring of Fire
by TeaSippinSpirit
Summary: While out for his regular, morning walk, Percival Graves is completely stunned when he's suddenly hit with the overwhelmingly sweet smell of an Omega (Credence Barebone) in heat. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them fandom. rcival Graves. Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics. Mating Cycles/In Heat. ***Follow me on Tumblr at Irohnthisplace.***
1. Chapter 1

Percival Graves does not see himself as a common wizard. He makes enormous efforts to keep his hair done just so, his clothes looking sharp, and his brain working at maximum capacity. His prestigious awards and honors are constant reminders of what a bit of hard work and a hint of pride can do for someone.

He runs his office the same way he runs his life. Precision, dedication, and perseverance. He holds his staff to his strict way of things, and in doing so, his entire office benefits from being utterly and uncommonly esteemed.

So while out for his regular, morning walk, he's completely stunned when he's suddenly hit with the overwhelmingly sweet smell of an Omega in heat. It's not that the smell of an Omega is shocking, as much as the fact that he's hit by it so completely. He's dealt with Omegas in heat before, but he has always been able to avoid awkward situations with them. But this—this is different.

He's suddenly realizing that he's veered off his typical rout, and is now heading down a street that he's never been down before. In the back of his mind, he's aware he should fight this. The animalistic urge to quench an Omega's thirst, is something that Wizards have had potions to sedate for several centuries now. But the smell is so wonderful, and he can feel his throat growing dry and his cock growing hard as he continues following the smell.

He finds himself at the edge of the North Wood in Central Park when he suddenly realizes he's not the only Alpha who's been drawn to the smell. A small queue has formed, leading into the woods where presumably his prize is waiting for him. He bypasses the waiting line, a few growls and snarls catching his ear, but he doesn't stop.

He's not far into the wood when he sees three Alphas standing around a large tree, looking up into the winter bare branches.

"Come on down, Omega!" One shouts in a deep voice. "You've been in heat for hours, you know you want it."

The young Omega, who can't be more than 20, mewls, stretching his body along the large branch in a clear want to present. But he doesn't come down.

"Look, just climb on down, and we'll make sure you get a nice, fat, Alpha cock straight away." Another Alpha bellows.

It takes Graves a long moment to figure out why the Alphas aren't simply climbing the tree to reach the fragrant little Omega. The tree is surrounded by a ring of fire. Something a No-Maj would normally be frightfully aware of, but thanks to the animalistic need to fuck that Omega, they've all seemed to not notice how odd it is.

He shakes his head. He's not aware of whom the Omega is, probably No-Maj born with no idea how he can do the things he can. Typically the Wizarding world was pretty good at getting a hold of No-Maj borns, but it wasn't unheard of for a young witch or wizard to grow up into adulthood before finally being discovered by MACUSA.

The Omega moans loudly, stretching his body again in an attempt to both present and keep himself from presenting. Graves grins, waves his wand and creates a large magical barrier around the alphas and the burning tree. He doesn't wait around to see how the Alphas react, he simply walks through his barrier and the ring of fire; the flames tickling as he passes.

He levitates up to the branch where the Omega is panting, his ass pushing longingly into the air.

"There there, boy;" Graves says calmly, "you're not in any danger with me."

The Omega moans again, wiggling his ass and staring at Graves with pained eyes. He's definitely young, but up close, Graves actually think he looks a little older. His eyes are sunken and his skin is pale; stretched taunt against his bones. His hair is black, but dull and brittle as if he's not been given proper hydration. But despite the sickly state of him, the boy is quite attractive. And no, he can't tell if that's his honest opinion or just the Omega heat driving him insane.

"Why don't you grab onto my arm, my boy? I'll get you out of here and we'll see what we can do about this miserable heat." His voice is eager but steady as he holds his arm out to the wiggling boy.

The Omega hums, biting his bottom lip and looking at Graves as if trying to gage whether he's trust worthy or not. But his heat gets the best of him in the end, because he quickly takes the offered arm and with a crack, they disapparate.

Graves is careful to land them straight into his bedroom. The less time they waste, the better. The boy groans again, Graves assumes partly due to the disorientation that comes with disapparation, but mostly due to his growing desperation. The boy is practically saturated with the sweet smell of Omega heat, and it's almost all he can do to not throw the boy down and fuck him thoroughly right then and there.

The Omega sits up on the bed, shoving his face down into the soft mattress while keeping his ass straight up; presenting beautifully now that the fear of falling is gone. Graves feels a growl low in his throat at the sight and he has to shake his head to clear it.

The boy is trembling, his eyes showing a hint of fear just beyond the uncontrollable lust, and Graves is not an unkind man. He may have never felt an Omega's heat this powerful before, but he's been near enough to know how to compose himself. He manages a smile that he hopes is comforting, and leans close.

"Don't be scared Omega." He says a little huskier than he'd meant to. "I'm not going to hurt you." He waves his wand, the boys' clothes disappearing with a swift flick of his wrist. The boy mews again, the pert little ass sticks further in the air at the feel of the cool breeze on his flushed skin, and Graves' breath gets caught in his throat at the sight.

The Omega is absolutely dripping wet, his tight little hole is visibly expanding and contracting around absolutely nothing, and the sweet smell overpowers the room in an instant. His skin is too tight across his bones, and much too pale, though fevered red in his heat. There are purple, blue and black bruises littered across his small frame, but he looks absolutely perfect.

Graves allows himself a touch; letting his hand caress gently over the heated skin from the back of his neck to the round temptation of his ass. His touch instantly heals and fades some of the uglier bruises and the Omega purrs in appreciation, the cool skin from the Alpha, calming the heated fever momentarily.

Graves watches as the boy turns himself over, grabbing his modest, yet still impressive cock and pumping himself as he stares back at Graves through lust filled brown orbs.

"Please…I'm…I'm so…" He groans again, his eyes rolling shut and his head flying back, exposing the supple flesh of his neck. And oh, that skin looks appetizing. Unlike the skin of his back, his neck is unbruised, untouched. It's unlikely that this is the boys first heat, but the lack of dominate marks on his neck let Graves know he's never been claimed; which is not to say he's never been fucked, though Graves can't figure why someone would fuck but not claim such a pretty little Omega.

"Shh shh" Graves coos, running a soothing hand along his forehead, pushing the Omega's hair out of his sweat soaked face. The boy whimpers at the touch; leaning in and sighing softly. Graves feels his cock give an approving twitch to how pliant the Omega is.

The smell is starting to make Graves dizzy. He's so close to the Omega and the boy is so far in heat that he's actually rather impressed with his own self control. He smoothes his hand back down the boys back, stopping at his round ass and pressing a finger into the absolutely soaking hole.

The moan the boy let's out is so loud that Graves actually casts a silencing and protection charm over the entire house before continuing. One finger is so easily taken, that he immediately adds a second. The Omega raises his currently unused hand to his mouth and bites down hard.

Graves grins, scissoring and wiggling his fingers in and out of the tight little hole as more slick juices drip out. The boy is huffing now, short and ragged, and Graves knows he's not far from his first orgasm. He slaps the boys pumping fist away from his angry cock; watches as the red head bounces against his stomach twice before spewing generous streams of cum over his chest.

The Omega groans, a happy little smile crossing his lips for just a moment before the heat lust is back. Graves knows he won't be satisfied until he has some nice soothing Alpha cum inside him, but there's no rush. He might as well enjoy the show while he can. He's certain that his own desires are going to take over any moment now, and he wants to make sure the beautiful little Omega is 100% ready for him when it does.

"Turn over for me, Omega. Show me that nice presentation." He says softly, still pushing two fingers in and out of his slick hole.

The Omega chokes on a sob before forcing himself to obey the order. And geeze, this boy is going to be the death of him. Obeying so easily and looking so fine while doing it. Graves growls in approval as the round ass sticks back up into the air, and he rewards the obedience with two fingers back into his hole.

The boy whines, shoving his head into the mattress and shoving back onto the fingers desperately. Graves knows it's not enough. His fingers aren't going to fix the burn deep in the Omegas gut, but he's not quite ready to shove anything else into the beautiful hole.

He undoes his trousers and shoves his pants down, freeing his cock, which is already engorged and throbbing with need. The Omega immediately stiffens, his head turning slightly to see the large Alpha cock, so close to him. He mewls at the sight and instinctively sticks his ass up, wiggling it tantalizingly in the air, begging the cock to take it.

Graves has had just about enough of this ridiculous self control. He stands up from his kneeling position, lines himself up to that welcomingly slick hole, and shoves in just past the bump of the head. The Omega moans, letting his body go limp except for the overworking muscles of his hole which were currently trying to pull Graves in deeper.

Graves growls in appreciation, but holds himself back from pushing further.

"You like that, Omega?" He keens softly. The Omega groans, nodding his head enthusiastically.

"Say it, out loud." Graves says gently, pushing too slowly into the heat of the beautiful boy, for either of their liking.

The Omega sobs in frustration, shoving his hips back and trying to absorb that Alpha cock into him. But Graves is too quick for him. With every shove, every movement, he pulls back; keeping his cock at the same, completely unhelpful depth.

"Be a good Omega. Do as you're told." He says teasingly, still moving much too slow.

The Omega gives a desperate squeeze, trying to entice his Alpha to fuck him properly without having to say anything, but it's just no use. He gathers himself as best he can, and opens his mouth to respond. A loud moan escapes before the squeaky sound of his voice comes forth, "Love it." It's almost a whisper, but Graves rewards the words with a deep shove forward, causing the Omega to jolt into the mattress.

"There's my good boy." And those words tingle all over the Omegas body, causing him to shiver. Graves feels it and grins, pumping smoothly in and out of the wet little hole now.

"You like being my good boy? My obedient little Omega?"

The boy groans at the words, nodding and gasping out little puffs of "Yes." and "immagoodboy."

Graves picks up speed at his words, and Merlin, he really is sopping wet. He reaches around, gripping the boys cock, and just as his skin touches the flushed shaft, the boy comes again, groaning and moaning into the mattress.

"Atta boy, you get it all out for your Alpha." He says, wrapping his hand more firmly around the Omega's cock. The boy sobs, into the mattress, the burn in his gut still not satisfied as he becomes increasingly turned on again.

"C'mere, turn around." Graves says, pulling out so the vocal whine of the Omega. But the boy obeys, turning back around to his back, and lying down spreading his legs beautifully.

"Please." The Omega pleads, tears sprouting to the corners of his eyes.

"Spread those cheeks for me." Graves says, and as the Omega obeys, he lines himself back up and presses inside, eliciting a contented moan from each of them.

The Omega, reaches for his cock again, but Graves smacks his hand away. "Ah ah ah. No touching." The boy whines, shoving his head back into the mattress, showing his neck skin again. And this time, Graves can't hold back. He growls; deep and primal, as he leans down, pressing his lips to the still fevered flesh.

The boy whimpers and then moans as Graves presses supple soft kisses along the sensitive skin. Graves has his cock trapped between their stomachs, friction keeping it happy while the large Alpha cock splits him in two. He chokes on another sob, as Graves pushes himself back up, picking up speed with his hips as he really goes for it.

He grips the boys hips, pulling him into him as he rams home, causing the Omega to mewl and howl in pleasure, his head thrusting from side to side as the Alpha begins to lose control. He dares not reach for his neglected cock, but as the thought flies through his mind, Alpha suddenly has his hand wrapped around it, pumping in time with his thrusts.

"Yesyesyes." The Omega chants softly, tears spilling from his eyes as he feels the bubble of his third orgasm approach.

"That's it, Omega." Graves hums as his own orgasm builds rapidly. "Be a good boy and show your Alpha how much you need him."

The boy groans, his body jerking sporadically as fresh hot strings of cum splatter over his stomach and chest. Graves growls as the tight little hold clamps down on him, the pressure pulling his orgasm from him violently.

The room fills with the sounds of panting, and soft kisses being pressed between puffs. The Omega purrs in delight as his fever breaks and sweet sweet relief floods his senses. Graves, stuck inside the Omega as he knotted, maneuvers so that he can lie down beside him, pressing soft kisses to his face, while running a finger along his sweaty skin.

"How on Earth has no one claimed you?" Graves asks, as his finger trails along the unmarked skin of the Omega's neck.

The boy shrugs, though he's pretty sure that only Beta's get claimed. Omegas are filthy, whorish sluts who hardly ever get claimed. But he's not about to say any of that. Not when he has a strong Alpha pressing soft kisses to him, and plugging him up so that none of his sweet Alpha milk will escape.

Graves smiles and shakes his head. He's a quite one, that's for sure. Though he's not sure he dislikes that. Most Omegas' he knows are ridiculous little self absorbed jerks. Being Omegas, they know that they're rare and that they could have anyone they want. Omegas that remain unmarked are actually known for being little teases, but he's pretty sure this one isn't. He thinks that perhaps No-Maj's raise Omegas differently, but he doesn't really devote time to the thought because he suddenly feels his knot go down, and he's able to slip out.

The Omega groans at the loss and Graves smiles again, nuzzling his nose in his Omega's hair. "How many times did you come?" He mumbles, the beginnings of drowsiness coming into his voice.

The Omega hesitates before he squeaks out his reply. "Three? Maybe four?"

Graves nods, a yawn tearing from his mouth as he does so. The Omega mimics the yawn and shivers in the afterglow, snuggling closer to the solid Alpha. "Do you need more?" Graves says, his voice obviously dripping with sleep.

Credence nods his head slowly. He's warm and comfortable and filled with Alpha come at the moment. "Sleep first?" He asks breathily. And the Alpha nods in response, his arms wrapping around the boy securely.

"Sleep first." Graves repeats, as they both drift into a calm sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Burning Ring of Fire: Chapter 2- Credence

Credence keeps his eyes closed, trying his hardest to fall back asleep. His Ma hasn't come to wake him up yet and he's so tired, desperate to get a bit more sleep before having to get up and start his chores. It's not the usual sounds from his window that are keeping him from drifting; however, it's a smell. He knows the smell, knows it immediately. But there's no way that he can smell it. Bacon.

He opens his eyes, blinking for a moment to adjust for the soft grey light streaming in through the window. His stomach growls and he sits up, groaning softly at the pain of his aching muscles. It's at this point that he realizes he's not at home.

He looks around the neat room. It's warmed by a small fire, walls covered top to bottom with books of all sizes and widths, and very tidy. It doesn't take him long to realize why he's in the strange room, and when he does, his body flushes with embarrassment and he moves off the bed, searching for his clothes.

He's never actually mated with an Alpha before; most of the time he's been caught in Heat by Beta's. In fact, that was the very reason he has sought refuge up the large tree yesterday. Being an Omega in heat is bad enough without the humiliation of Beta's fucking you in public one right after the other.

He remembers what happened with the Alpha, but he's not quite able to piece everything together. Probably the delirium from his Heat. Honestly he can't even figure out why an Alpha would interfere. It wasn't unknown for Alphas to mate with Omega's in heat, especially if the Alpha was kind, but that usually only happened if the Omega was alone and there were no Betas in sight.

He finds his clothes hanging neatly over a line in front of the fire, and hurriedly puts them on. From what he's heard, an Alpha doesn't like to be reminded of the fact that he's had to mate with an Omega. So he tries to be as quiet as possible, as he looks for the most inconspicuous way out of the house. He looks out of the window and gasps when he sees how far up they are. It's at least three stories.

He sighs as he turns away from the window and faces the door of the bedroom. He's going to have to try and sneak out some other way. Maybe there's a back door. As he opens the door and goes into the hall, he gasps again. He was expecting to see an apartment by the looks of the bedroom, but this—this is a house. It seems impossibly old, too. The walls are covered in beautiful designed wallpaper that has dulled and become dirty with time. The décor seems ancient somehow, like maybe someone picked up the walls of a castle and moved them here. Paintings of landscapes and portraits hang in a mismatched manner on the walls, and more than once he could swear he sees the subjects of the paintings move.

He makes it to the staircase, which once again seems far too grand and ancient for a building of New York, and he slowly descends, moving cautiously. The further down he moves, the brighter the area around him seems to get, and when he reaches the landing, the floors are bright marble and the walls are covered with a much more modern paper. The orange glow of the candles from the upstairs sconces has dissipated into a bright natural light coming in from the large windows.

He's standing at the bottom of the staircase; a grand looking door is directly ahead of him a few feet, and he can see into a large living area to his left. He can hear the clattering of metal on metal, and the overwhelming smell of bacon greets him once more. He takes a breath and gives a longing look toward the right which is clearly the way to kitchen, before moving toward the large door that seems to lead outside.

He has his hand on the knob when he hears a voice right next to him.

"Going somewhere, Omega?"

He jumps, turning around and immediately casting his eyes down to not be rude to the Alpha, but there are no shoes or feet. He lets his gaze travel up and still—no one is there. He was so sure someone had said something.

"Come into the kitchen."

He doesn't jump this time, but he's still sure the voice sounds _right there_ instead of from the other room. He slowly walks into the kitchen, and as he lays eyes on the Alpha, a shiver runs through his body and he moans long and low.

The Alpha is sitting at a large circular table, his news paper unfolded and a plate of food to the side. He's broad and well muscled while still not being too muscular. His hair is black and cut into the perfect style for his face, but the moan that Credence couldn't fight down was due to the semi nudity of the man.

The Alpha chuckles at the sound and nods, holding out his arm for Credence to come over. "That's what I thought. Not quite through Heat, are you?"

Credence shivers as he moves forward and the Alpha raises his hand to cup the boys jaw. The touch is heaven. The fever of his heat isn't flaring at the moment, but the Alpha is right. He's not quite through it either.

"Why don't you have some food, get your strength back up, and we'll take care of that for you."

The Alpha is kind; kinder than anyone he's ever met before. As he sits down and a plate of food soars to him, Credence can't help but wonder why an Alpha would offer to get him through his Heat. He picks up a fork and begins shoveling eggs and gravy into his mouth. It's been ages since he's had a hot meal, let alone one that tastes so good. He's mid-chew when he suddenly has a complete coughing fit, the food spewing from his mouth as he stares at the plate.

"Did this plate…I mean was it just…Uh…"

The Alpha grins and nods. "Yes, it levitated over to you. You catch on quick."

Credence hardly notices the jab and instead pokes at the plate cautiously.

"It's not a dog." The older man says with a roll of his eyes. "It's not going to be provoked into action."

"How…I mean…"

"I'm a Wizard." Alpha says calmly, sipping at orange juice and flipping the page of the paper. "And by the looks of the tree that you were stuck up yesterday, I'd say you are too."

"A—A Wizard? Like…A witch?" Credence asks cautiously. Even just the sound of that word, makes him shiver and fearful of his mother's wrath.

The Alpha peers at him over his newspaper and raises an eyebrow. "Problem?"

Credence doesn't meet his eyes for very long. His heart starts pounding and he chances a glance toward the exit. His ma would have him whipped raw for this. He could get away with being gone for a night or two while in Heat—she hates that he's an Omega and the further away from the family he is when he starts going through Heat, the better. But he wouldn't be let off so easily when she found out it was a Wizard he'd been with.

"I uh—I think I need to get home." He says softly, trying not to anger the man.

The Alpha rolls his eyes, sets his newspaper down and looks at Credence for a long moment. He looks as if he's going to argue with him, maybe offer him more food or something to drink, but he ends up shaking his head and standing up.

Credence blushes again when faced with the Alpha's nudity; the man is wearing underwear and absolutely nothing else. Credence feels his entire body heat up and he bites his tongue hard to keep from mewling in appreciation.

"Well you're not a prisoner here, my boy. You have your clothes and you're free to go." He says calmly. But when Credence looks up at him, there's a devious look in his eye.

"Th-thank you." Credence says as he pushes away from the table and stands up. "I uh—well thank you." He says again, trying to be as polite as necessary while still making good time getting away.

"No problem." The man says with a grin. He waves his hand and his underwear disappears.

Credence watches as the older man sits back down in his chair, scoots away from the table and grips his half hard cock in his hand. The man sighs as he squeezes and Credence feels his mouth water as he watches the strong fist pump up and down on that beautiful Alpha cock.

"I assume you know where the front door is?" The Alpha's voice seems miles away now, and Credence can't even really understand what he's saying. He's completely hypnotized by the wonderful display, and he gulps loudly as the shaft hardens and turns a wonderful flushed color.

"I suppose, if you wanted to be a good boy, you could lend me the use of that pretty little mouth before you left."

And Credence understands those words. The thought of sucking on an Alpha cock, causes his mouth to drip with anticipation. He's moving forward without a second thought and he's down on his knees staring at the wonderful muscle before him.

He watches, mesmerized, as the Alpha pumps himself and he leans forward slowly, still slightly aware that he had a reason for wanting to leave, though he can't remember what it is anymore. He licks his lips and leans close, not wanting to touch before told, but the first gleaming pearl of pre-cum oozes out of the tip and Credence hums in a low whine. Not even a drop of Alpha cum should be wasted, and he closes the distance between the head of that wonderful cock and his lips before being instructed.

His lips wrap around the head loosely, just wanting to get the cum before it rolled away down the shaft, but that first taste—it's not enough. Not nearly enough. His eyes close in pleasure and he feels the hand stop pumping. He lets his lips crawl effortlessly down the shaft, the head poking at the back of his throat, and he can hear the intake of breath as the Alpha feels it too.

He moves slowly, savoring the flavor of the strong man as he rises back up the shaft and pops the head back out with a plop. He reaches up and takes the heated length in his hand, pointing it to him at a more comfortable angle. He allows himself another taste, the head going in easily as he pumps the thick, spit soaked member.

And oh, it's so good; the weight on his tongue, the salty taste filling his mouth, the warmth spreading through his body as he gets the cock nice and hard.

He pulls off and licks from the base to the tip, circling his tongue around the slit before putting the whole thing back in his mouth with a moan. The rumble of his throat must feel good, because the Alpha groans, and the deep sound causes fresh slick to start seeping from Credence's opening.

The Alpha moves his hand so that it's on Credence's cheek and as he lets the tip rest in the pocket of his cheek, the Alpha presses against it, moaning at the feel.

"You like that cock, boy?" The Alpha pants, his pupils dilated with lust.

Credence nods, sucking gently on the head like it's a sweet.

"Why don't you jump up here and prove how much you like it?" The Alpha says, motioning to the table.

Credence moves immediately, by the time he's up off of his knees, his clothes are gone and the table has cleared itself. But he's too far gone to register any of it at the moment. All he can think of his that wonderful Alpha cock, which is now hard and throbbing, ready to fuck him. He moves onto the table and falls into a presenting pose, his ass stuck up in the air, wiggling slightly to entice his Alpha.

His hole is tingling now, slick dripping whorishly from it, begging for the Alpha to take care of him. The man moves up, pulling Credence by his hips down to where his needy hole is lined up with the engorged cock. As the Alpha pushes in Credence moans, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as he feels his hole stretch to accommodate the intrusion. His top half goes limp at the feel of the Alpha moving inside of him, and he whimpers in pleasure as the Alpha's hips hit his backside.

The older man smoothes his hands along the skin of his back as he pulls out, only to push back in just as slowly. Credence feels like he's falling apart. Being filled with such an amazing cock, having the strong Alpha touching him all over, it's enough to make his entire body vibrate.

He makes a move to reach down and grasp his own neglected cock, but remembers how he's not supposed to touch, at the last minute. The Alpha sees the move and rewards his memory with a sharp thrust directly into a bundle of nerves that shake him to the very core. He whines loudly as his cock shoots out thick jets of Omega cum all over the table.

"Good boy." The Alpha coos, leaning down over his body and pinching playfully at his nipple. Credence shudders in response and leans back, arching his body and exposing the flesh of his neck. The Alpha groans deep in his throat as he keeps his hips canting forward.

His skin is hot again, flushed with heat and starting to sweat under the care of the Alpha. His Alpha. He moans at the thought of having an Alpha, but it quickly turns to a whimper as the man pulls out completely.

"Turn." The command is a pant, and rough. Credence obeys immediately, turning over and spreading his legs wide. The Alpha slips back into him easily; wrapping is coarse hand around Credence's cock and squeezing gently. He comes again, his breath catching as more jets shoot from his cock, landing on his chest.

"My poor little Omega, so backed up and needy." Credence mews in response to the Alphas words, shoving his hips down to meet the mans thrusts. He's delirious with want, desperate for relief from the burn in his gut. He tightens around the Alpha's cock, trying to extract the sweet relief bringing cum from him. And the Alpha growls in appreciation; a low rumble that makes the hair on Credence's neck stand up.

The pounding gets rougher, faster as the Alpha begins to knot, and Credence thrusts around in absolute elation. The Alpha thrusts his cock faster and faster, his hand gripping and pumping Credence's own cock in time with his movements. Credence chokes on a sob just as the Alpha slams into him hard, releasing copious amounts of that sweet, liberating cum deep inside of him.

Credence purrs in relief as the Alpha pants, catching his breath while they stay stuck together until his knot releases. He's smiling down at him, presses his hand to Credence's hot face and moves a strand of sweat soaked hair out of his eyes.

"What's your name, Omega?" He asks in a not unkind voice.

Credence shivers and squeaks once before clearing his throat and saying "Credence."

The Alpha nods a few times, still running his fingers through Credence's hair and making the boy go hot all over again.

"People call me Graves." The Alpha says, and then he grins. "Though I suppose it'll be easier for you to just call me Alpha."

Credence almost smiles, but that moment Graves' knot goes down and he slips out of his greedy little hole. The loss makes him whimper, and Graves reaches for a stick, waving it in a fancy way. Credence is suddenly clean and he hums in gratitude, before remembering why he wanted to leave.

Graves must see the sudden change in his mood because the older man waves his stick again and suddenly Credence's clothes are on the table next to him.

"I am not one to stop someone from leaving if they truly want." Credence watches as Graves, stands a little straighter, popping his back with a little twist. "But you are welcome to stay with me until you're through your heat."

Credence feels a warmth spread through him. He's never been offered a place to ride out his heat. He cringes at the bad pun and then chews his bottom lip. It would be nice not to have to leave. The moment he'd step outside a Beta would find him. Then he'd be used and humiliated until his heat ended. At least there was a bed here. And an Alpha can actually sedate the heat for a time, while a Beta can only sedate it for a few minutes.

"Well while you figure it out, I'm going to make some coffee." Graves doesn't move to get the things he needs, instead he waves his stick and leaves the room. It's not a second before a bag of beans and a kettle are flying around, finding their positions to get the coffee going. Credence watches in awe as he slowly pulls on his undershirt.

He's not quite found the time to pull his underwear on, when Graves returns, an undershirt (much nicer than Credence's) and some pants on. He's holding a sheet of paper and an opened envelope, reading the letter carefully, when a large black owl flies in and lands on his shoulder.

Credence gasps, nearly falling off of the table.

"There there, boy. It's just an owl."

Credence's eyes are wide, his mouth open in absolute shock as Graves hands the bird a cracker and slips a very odd coin into a sack on the birds leg. The owl eats the cracker and then spreads it's wings, flying swiftly out of the room.

"Where—where is it going?" Credence asks, slipping off of the table and staring out of the kitchen in the direction it flew.

"It's a postal owl. We use them to send letters. It's heading back to the Postal Office." Graves doesn't look up from his letter as he answers, and Credence stares at him in wonder. How can the use of an Owl not impress him? Even if it is ordinary for him, that's absolutely amazing!

Graves moves to sit down in a chair just as a mug of hot coffee soars over to him. He sets the letter down and adds milk and honey to the hot drink and then sips happily.

"Would you like some?" He asks, looking at Credence with a small grin. Credence shakes his head, though he has to admit the drink does smell nice.

Graves shrugs. "Suit yourself." He looks back to his letter, and Credence finds himself standing awkwardly with his underwear not quite up over his hips, in the middle of a stranger's kitchen. And a magical stranger to boot.

"I uh…" He blushes furiously, hating to disturb the Alpha, but still not sure of what he should do. "I guess I should go, then."

Graves looks up again. "If you really want to, then go right ahead." The Alpha stands, downing his mug of coffee and waving his stick (which Credence is very aware is a wand, but still too scared to really think the word) and having several articles of clothing fly toward him.

He dresses quickly and then tidy's his hair with his wand. "I have to go to work for a little bit." He says, straightening his tie. "Why don't you have some more food and think over my offer." Credence sees the table restock itself with food and then looks down at his skinny frame. The Alpha probably thinks he's malnourished, which isn't completely untrue. He blushes at the thought of looking so unattractive in the presence of an obviously strong and handsome Alpha.

Graves is standing in front of him now, and he swallows, not wanting to meet his eyes. He counts three breaths before feeling the soothing touch of the Alpha's finger to his chin. He lifts his head and stares hopelessly into the Alpha's eyes. He's so attractive and solid and Credence almost feels his legs give way at the closeness of him.

Graves smiles, warmly and pulls Credence close, pressing their lips together softly. Credence mewls in pleasure at the contact, and his stomach explodes in a feeling that he's not quite able to name. His whole body tingles and his legs actually do wobble, only to have the Alpha's strong hand press into the small of his back, steadying him.

"I won't be long. You have plenty of time to eat your fill and rest before I return. If you're here when I get back—" He steps back a pace and drinks in the sight of the Omega standing half naked before him, "be in my room, and be presenting." Credence shivers and Graves presses another kiss to his lips before grinning and disappearing with a large crack.

Credence jumps at the sound, but he can physically feel the loss of the Alpha's presence. The thought of having an Alpha practically promise to fuck him is so strange to him, and it has fresh slick form between his cheeks. He hums in slight embarrassment before stumbling back to the table and sitting down in the chair Graves was just in.

He pulls his plate to him and starts eating slowly as he tries to figure out what to do. It seems like an obvious answer. An actual Alpha willing to fuck him while he's in heat, food and a warm bed, what seems to be the problem here? Except, Omegas are –well dirty. Going into heat, allowing anything with a dick to fuck you, shoving your butt into the air to entice men to have their way with you, and not being satisfied for three to five days? It's not exactly a pretty site.

Alphas are at the top of the food chain, so to speak. Beta's will yield to an Alpha, but are above an Omega, who is at the bottom. There is no strict rule for who anyone can mate with, but it's widely known that Alphas prefer Betas. Beta's don't go thorough Heat like the little Omega sluts, but they do provide an Alpha with a mate. Beta's will not mate with Omegas typically, but they will have sex with them while the Omega is in Heat. Omegas don't usually have mates. They are seen as common whores and will typically leave their town during their Heats or lock themselves in their homes so that no one can see their shame.

Credence takes a piece of toast from the plate and sighs. He's never been able to just stay inside. He's always been very aromatic. Even while inside his home, Beta's will line up outside and heckle him into coming outside. It's the reason Ma prefers he's gone. She hates having an Omega in the family, but she absolutely refuses to have the home swarmed with sin as he goes through Heat.

He bites into the toast and then pushes away from the table, walking out of the kitchen and into the living room. He's actually a little surprised to not hear Beta's heckling him right now. He peeks his head out of the window and stares for a long moment. Nothing. Not one person is looking at the house.

Maybe the Alpha scent is stronger than his. Or maybe he's done some sort of hocus pocus, as his ma would say. He groans again, and shuffles back into the kitchen. He pours himself some water and then pulls on the rest of his clothes. He can't stay here.

He's never been good at lying to his ma, and he doesn't want to get whipped blind when she finds out who he's been spending his time with. He's a little soar though, and he winces slightly at the ache when he pulls his pants over his bottom.

The ache will go away in a few days, maybe sooner. It's painful, but not as painful as it usually is. Beta's aren't nearly as careful as Mr. Graves has been with him. He also doesn't usually get a break. Once he goes into Heat and is caught by a Beta, he usually spends the next three to five days with one dick shoved up his ass right after another. He blushes at the thought.

It's not even like the sex is good. It's just necessary. He pulls on his shirt and begins to button it. Mr. Graves made it good. The way he found that secret bundle of nerves deep inside of him and just kept ramming into it until he came. Credence shivers at the recent memory and faces away from the table where it happened.

He swallows thickly as he bends down to pull on his socks. Maybe Mr. Graves wasn't that good though, maybe it was just his cock, so thick and big. Credence feels his mouth water at the thought of having it in his mouth again. Oh it was so nice having an Alpha moaning and panting because of what he was doing. And it was so nice having an Alpha offer to fuck him through his Heat. Credence whines softly as more slick begins to form.

He can't stay. He has to go. Another day or so and he'll have to be back at his Ma's and she'll know he's done something bad. More so than usual during Heat. And then it'll be the belt. Yes, he's definitely leaving.

Graves decides to travel by floo instead of Apparating. He doesn't know if Credence decided to stay or not, and if he did and decided to take a nap, he'd hate to wake the boy up with such an unpleasant sound.

He steps through his fire place and glances at his watch. Not too long, only 3 hours since he left. He made a point to let his office know that he may take the rest of the week off, just in case his guest stayed, but he didn't commit to it either. The boy did seem pretty determined to leave. For someone obviously neglected and desperate for a kind word, he sure wanted to get away from him.

Graves sighs as he looks around, taking his jacket off and setting it over a chair. The house is quiet and he curses out loud at the thought that Credence chose to leave. He can't really blame the kid. It was a lot to take in for a no-maj, he knows. And he took some time while he was at the office to do some research on the No-Maj way of things. Apparently Omega's are considered second-class citizens in their world. So the boy was probably confused by why an Alpha took an interest in him at all, let alone a wizard.

He takes his handkerchief out of his pocket and blows the soot from his nose. The second he does, his cock gives a twitch. He can smell the sweet Omega perfectly, and his eyes close in appreciation of the aroma and the fact that he stayed. He _stayed_.

Graves walks up the stairs quickly, but quietly; the smell of the Omega growing in power as he move toward his room. He opens the door and grins in delight.

Credence is naked, presenting beautifully with his round little ass stuck straight in the air. His arms are folded under his head, and his eyes are closed, a soft smooth breathing pattern coming from him as he sleeps. Graves just looks at him for a moment. His own little Omega, obeying his last command despite needing to rest.

He feels his cock twitch again at the thought and at that moment Credence mewls in his sleep, wiggling his ass as a fresh river of slick forms it's way out of him. Graves wonders if he's ever had to sleep while in this position before. According to his research, it's likely. The poor boy would typically be fucked endlessly by vile Beta's while he suffered through his Heat.

It was the same in both worlds, however, that an Omega's Heat could be satisfied much more completely by an Alpha. Graves grins at the thought and walks over to the still sleeping boy. He runs his hand over his back, still bruised and scared though not as fresh as the first time he'd seen him. Credence moans at the touch, but still doesn't wake.

Graves smoothes his hand along the round of his ass, and lets a finger slip into his slick opening, pulling another moan from the boy. He pumps his finger in and out, twisting and curving it as he did. Credence pushes back, his body oozing with desperation and need.

Graves adds another finger and Credence groans a long desperate "oh", his eyes fluttering open slowly.

"There's my pretty little Omega." Graves says in a gruff voice.

Credence smiles, and wow, he really is breathtaking when he does that. Graves feels as his cock grows in his pants and he smiles back as he lets the boy fuck himself on his fingers.

"Why don't I get out of these clothes, and you can use that wonderful mouth of yours to get my cock nice and hard for you?" Credence hums and nods his head.

Graves smiles at the boy, pulling his finger loose and standing up to undress. There's no way he can give this boy up.


	3. Chapter 3- Graves

Burning Ring of Fire: Chapter 3- Graves

They don't only have sex. Over the next two days, they do a lot of things, actually. Mr. Graves shows off some seriously impressive cooking skills with magic, Credence shows off some seriously impressive food eating skills for someone so thin, they listen to the radio—for hours because Credence has never been allowed to listen to it before—and they even go swimming in Mr. Graves' pool. So, they don't only have sex.

But they also have a lot of sex. On the bed, with Credence's ass straight up in the air, in the shower with the boy shoved up against the wall, water cascading over his bruised skin and soaking them both thoroughly. On the living room floor, the Omega riding him desperately as the fire crackles next to them. It's just all so good. Graves isn't sure sex has ever been this good before. Not that he's ever actually been with an Omega, but still sex with just any Omega can't be this amazing. Though it would explain why Omega's tend to rarely be available.

Credence is curled up in a ball under the sheets, breathings softly thought his mouth; his hair falling gently over his face, still sweaty from their after lunch romp. Maybe it's just his imagination, but Graves doubts if the boy has ever had a good night sleep in his life. Actually, for someone who has spent the last four days in his constant company, Graves knows surprisingly little about the alluring Omega.

He's an orphan, adopted by a God-fearing woman who runs a church which declares witchcraft very much real and very much evil. He's young, only 20 years old, and has been presenting since he was 16. With no safe home or anyone willing to claim him, he is no stranger to sex, but even so, he knows very little about sex. His basic knowledge is 'sit there and take it'. None of his partners even saw fit to use their command over him to train him.

Not that it takes long for him to learn. Graves only has to tell him once that he doesn't touch himself, that his Omega dick is only to be touched by Graves. He's so willing to learn, so keen to do as he's told and make his Alpha happy. It's intoxicating.

Graves takes a deep breath and shoves his glasses up to his head and rubs his eyes. He's been pouring over research papers and books about No-Maj culture. Most of the things he's found is completely useless—guess work, and theories. The only hard evidence he finds is European studies on Muggles, and that isn't even super helpful as the Europeans and Americans are vastly different in both the magic and non magic worlds.

Credence moans softly and scuttles a little closer to him. The boy craves his touch—something he was sure was a side effect of his Heat, but lately he's not so sure. The way Credence looks at him like he's everything, how he leans into his small affectionate touches, the subtle moves to be closer—it seems deeper than a Heat-induced lustful want. Something more akin to the basic human need to be touched.

He puts his arm around him as he picks the papers up again, holding them close to his nose so he can read them.

\\\

He must have dosed off, because he awakens to pitch black. He can't feel the warmth of the Omega next to him and stretches with a soft yawn before sitting up and looking around.

"Lumos," he says softly. The light glows and he realizes he's alone. He checks the bathroom, but it's empty. It's the first time in three days that he's woken up without Credence within arm's reach. He walks down stairs, and as he approaches the landing, he can hear the radio in the living room. He grins.

"I never would have taken you for a fan of Jazz." Credence jumps slightly, and goes bright red.

"I-I'm sorry. I should have asked permission! I—you were asleep, and I didn't want to bother you—"

"Take it easy!" Graves says, holding his hands up to stop the word jumble. "You have my unending permission to listen to the radio." Credence seems to relax a bit at that, and Graves shakes his head. "I don't know much about this mother of yours, but she must run a tight ship."

Credence goes red again, casting his eyes down and nodding once. He goes tense again and chews on his lip before standing up and turning the radio off. "I should probably go home soon." The words are soft, and he still isn't making eye contact.

Graves leans up against the door frame that leads into the living room. "I thought we were past this nonsense."

Credence chances a glance and shuffles his feet a bit. "I—I'm coming out of Heat," he says softer still. "Ma will wonder where I am if I'm gone too long."

Oh—right, He supposes once the boys Heat is over, he really should get back to his family. And Graves should get back to work. He's resisted the urge to claim him, due to the boy's initial reluctance to stay. And now he's glad he resisted—though Credence did not make it easy; stretching his neck and exposing the unmarked flesh at every single chance he had. But still, if he had given in then Credence leaving would be a lot messier.

"Right," Graves says, leaning away from the door frame and turning towards the kitchen. "I guess you're right. If you're coming out of Heat, then yeah—you should go home."

It's not like he was hoping for anything really. He just hadn't really considered what would happen when Credence came out of Heat. He waves his wand and begins making some food, he's not sure when Credence wants to leave, but at least he can send him home with a full stomach.

"I—you're not angry with me, are you?" The voice is still soft, and he doesn't even have to look to know that Credence is still looking at the floor. He shuts his eyes and takes a deep, quiet breath.

"Of course not," He says gently, turning to the boy and touching his shoulder. "All I wanted was to get you through your Heat. And I've done that. You're free to go whenever you like."

There's a touch of something in the Omega's eyes when he finally looks up at him. "I can leave now. I don't want to be a burden." His words tremble just slightly, and Graves thinks he hears a note of hurt in them.

"If that's what you want." Graves fights the urge to touch the boy's face, and instead forces himself to continue preparing the food. "I'm making eno—"

He hears the door close behind him and he whips around, the young Omega nowhere in sight. His heart rate increases and he has to compel himself not to stare out the window after the boy, or worse, go after him and beg him to stay. Not only would that be ridiculous for a grown man, but he refuses to be one of those idiots who beg Omegas for the pleasure of their company—even if Credence isn't like any Omega he's met before.

Monday morning Graves wakes up in an absolutely sour mood. He groans as he slides out of bed, his feet knocking over bottles of firewisky as he heads to the bathroom. He fumbles through his cabinet for some PepperUp potion, but he's out. He groans again. He's not much of a potions master so he makes a mental note to stop and get some before work, as he shuts his cabinet doors and hops in the shower.

He's not done much of anything since Credence left, Friday evening. It's not like him to laze about even on a weekend, and he feels a bit ashamed of the fact that he's not even had the energy to take a shower.

He's always had carefully scheduled plans, even for his days off. It's always been in his nature to get up and have a purpose for the day. He's noticed this change in character over the weekend, and he can brush it partly off by saying that he intentionally made no plans due to his house guest, but as soon as Credence left, he should have done something. He could have gone into work or had his assistant update him on what's been going on, but he didn't. He opted to laze about all weekend, in a drowsy haze.

And now that Monday is here and he's in his kitchen making toast, he kind of wishes he could just stay home and laze around some more. Even after his shower and after dressing he's still not in a mood to be productive. He drinks his coffee slowly, and huffs at his own sluggishness.

He eats his toast and decides to just Apparate one block from the building. He would normally walk to work; take the time to go over his agenda in his head and maybe even stop for a donut to treat himself, but even if he had wanted to do that, he couldn't. For the first time in over 12 years, he's late.

"Mr. Graves, welcome back," his junior assistant, Anderson, says. "Ms. Davis has asked me to tell you that she's kept up with all the paper work. We've rescheduled all of your meetings and appointments to later in the week, and you should have a pretty easy morning so you can spend the time going through and checking that everything was done to standard." The young man hands him his coffee as he speaks, and they get onto the elevator.

There's no need to say where they're heading, the elf already knows and has the lever switched to the correct floor before Anderson's briefing is finished.

Graves just nods at the young man, sipping his coffee indifferently. He's kind of glad that he's never made an attempt to be lively or cheerful to his staff. It just makes it easier for them to tell when you're not on form, and there is no excuse for him to not be on form. It's not like he and Credence were anything special. He rolls his eyes. He's got to stop thinking of the boy.

His office is neat and tidy, no extra mess of memos or papers lying around. Davis really is a good Assistant, completely capable of doing her job, and he thinks about writing a memo to himself to see about giving her a promotion, but the thought of doing anything more than totally necessary, tires him out and he sighs as he sits in his chair.

"Pull yourself together," he says, with absolutely no passion behind it. "At least look at some reports."

He groans and sips his coffee again, staring at the manila folders that Anderson left for him. There aren't many and he flips through the first few casually, not really paying attention to them. It's the fourth or fifth folder that catches his interest. It's a report of unusual magical activity throughout the city. That does happen on occasion, especially due to the high number of magical families with young children about, but for some reason, this one bothers him. He scribbles a note on the bottom of the report and bewitches it to find Davis.

The report is lackluster at best. No real descriptions, no eyewitness accounts of the strange activity, no reliable sources, just a vague description of strange winds and some minor earthquake activity.

"You sent for me?"

He looks up from the report and waves Davis in. "Yes, yes. This report," he points at it and sips at his coffee again. "Any details on it?"

The young woman shrugs and shakes her head. "No. Honestly there's so little about it, that I didn't even want to put it in your line up, but I know how you like to know everything no matter how small." She has a prideful look on her face at the words. It's something he's pounded into them since he took over as Head of Magical Security. 'Everything, no matter how small, is worth our time.'

He nods and looks at the report again. "Where are the reports coming from?"

"All over the city. There aren't any big disturbances, just minor earth quakes, a few cracks in the roads, a few of the no-maj vehicles were destroyed. It's being explained by the No-Maj authorities as earth quakes, but we found traces of magic at all of the sites. Nothing too advanced. I'd say it's some kids getting a little out of hand with their games."

Graves nods again. "Let's keep an eye on this. I'm not sure why, but I've got an unusual feeling about this." The woman nods and taps the paper he sent to her with her wand, sending it away.

"I can have some Aurors placed around the city to keep an eye on things for us," she says helpfully. But Graves shakes his head.

"No, no. No need for that. I just want any more unusual occurrences to be sent to me. Anyone who's following up on them needs to have detailed reports. No more vague throw away sentences."

She nods once, "Yes, sir."

He waves her away and she hesitates before saying "Welcome back."

He doesn't respond, but he feels the edge of his mouth go up in a small grin. He's always liked Davis, though he's pretty sure she had a ridiculous crush on him when she first started a few years ago. But she's professional and has never made any advances.

He leans back in his chair and stares at the last few folders on his desk. He already feels like he's done enough work for the day. He sighs again, turning his chair and staring out the window. It's been getting colder, and somehow the city always seems to change to a mucky grey when the seasons change from warm to cold. He wonders if Credence is among the faceless passers-by.

He honestly barely makes it through the day. Once he's back home he feels his body physically give up and he crumbles to the ground, a soft whimper of pain puffing out as he crashes. This isn't right. Losing an Omega shouldn't be this bad. It shouldn't be bad at all, but he'll give himself a little leeway because he kind of liked the boy. But even so—this is a lot.

This is absolutely ridiculous!

He forces himself up off the ground and puffs a heavy breath. He's not going to do this. Be sad, sure. As an Alpha having an Omega around was pure bliss, and Credence himself, was pretty amazing too. And yeah, it was nice having company and cooking for someone else, but he's not going to let himself give in to despair. He brushes his suit off and heads into the kitchen. First things first: A hot meal.

\\\

The rest of the week is better. Well, not better. He still feels like crap, and the unending loneliness of his house is becoming unbearable, but he refuses to have another pointless day at work. He's on time each morning. He listens to Anderson's prep and makes sure to read each folder carefully. He takes all of his appointments and even goes to the congress meetings.

While he's busy, he doesn't have time to think about himself. If he stays active then he can pretend things are going just fine for him. And honestly he still can't figure out why he's so bummed. He's not stupid, he can pinpoint the moment and make the deduction as to why he's upset, but he just doesn't understand why. He's an Alpha. He's had sex before! Hell he's even had partners stay for extended periods of time. He shakes his head. No! He's not going to psychoanalyze himself. He needs to keep busy.

As Friday draws to a close, he sighs at the mess of papers, books and folders he's brought home for the weekend. This is a normal thing for him, and he's been making efforts to do normal things, but this seems like a little too much for him right now. He's been forcing himself all week and now he just wants to rest. Rest and maybe be a little sad.

He's just sitting down to flip through a few papers when he hears a knock at the door. He unlocks the door with his wand and then points it to his throat speaking normally.

"It's open."

His house is magically hidden from No-Maj's, so he assumes it's someone from work, and when he hears the door open, he shuts the folder and walks into the living room to greet his guest.

"Is the floo network down or—Credence?"

It's a question because the boy looks—

Graves immediately feels a growing monster of anger raise in his gut. Credence is soaked to the bone, shivering and bloodied up. His eye is growing puffy and he can see fresh wounds, gashes and welts on his hands.

"I-I-I'm sorry. I d-didn't know where else t-t-to go." His voice is shaking terribly, obviously from the cold but also from something else. Terror, Graves realizes.

"Hush, dear boy. You're always welcome here." He waves his wand, stripping the dripping clothes from his body and conjuring a thick blanket. "Come to the fire, so I can look at those cuts." Credence wraps the blanket around himself, wincing slightly and limping after Graves into the living room.

With a wave of his wand, there's a roaring fire and Credence huddles near it gratefully.

"What happened?" Graves asks, trying to keep his voice from trembling with anger. Credence doesn't answer.

"Credence?" He puts his hand up, cupping the young face and instantly regretting the move at the harsh wince the boy gives.

It's a long time before Credence speaks. He keeps opening his mouth and then shuddering, huddling into the blanket and shaking his head violently. But finally. FINALLY he opens up and speaks. "F-fell in the lake."

His voice is still trembling slightly, but he seems warmer now. His eyes don't meet Graves own, and the words come out barely audible.

"You fell?"

Credence nods.

"If I have you drink a truth potion, will that still be your answer?" It's not unkind. Just strong, and Graves can't help but honestly feel the urge to slip some into the boy's drink. But the fear in Credence's eyes reprimands him.

"No, I'm—I'm sorry, I won't give you anything you don't want to take." He sees the relief flood over the boy, and he sighs at his own stupidity. "Will you let me heal you?" His words are kinder now, gentle.

Credence gives a stiff nod and Graves raises his hand slowly, deliberately moving so that Credence can see him. "Look at me?" The boy does, and oh Merlin he's missed him. He touches his eye with his finger tips and the soft purple bruising goes down.

Credence releases a breath, relief evident on his face again.

"Your hands." Graves says, still a gentle tone to his voice. He presses his palms to Credence's and the gashes and welts disappear.

Credence looks at him in awe, his lips parting slightly in amazement.

"Were you limping?" Graves asks, and Credence nods, looking down to his painfully twisted leg. Graves kneels down, and touches the skin gently. "Knee or ankle?"

"Knee." Credence breathes out, and Graves touches it cautiously. Credence lets out a little hiss, and Graves winces. He's never been good with broken or sprained anything. He'll have to give him a potion. He smiles up at the boy and stands up straight.

"I'm going to take you into the kitchen. I need a better look at that knee."

Credence nods, and Graves scoops him up effortlessly, bringing him into the kitchen and waving a hand to clear the table. He sets him down and pulls a chair up to take a seat.

A vibrant flash back to the last time Credence was on this table, fleets through his mind. He was naked then too, and his hair was wet as well, though with sweat instead of water. He shakes his head and looks at the knee again. Focus.

It's swollen already, and he can see hints of bruising. He can put pressure on it, so he doubts it's broken.

"I—I'm going to look up a spell for sprains. But would a potion be okay if I can't find one?"

Credence looks a little shaken, but doesn't say no. He doesn't say yes either. Graves waits as patiently as he can manage before he can't anymore.

He grabs Credence's chin and forces him to look into his eyes. "Omega, you have my word I will not drug, poison, or manipulate you. Let me help you."

He feels the shudder run through the boy's body at the words. It's still a request, but he purposefully uses his term, and is careful not to ask, but instead demand. With Credence not in heat, he can still refuse the demand, but Graves can see he's not going to do that.

"Yes, Alpha." The Omega's words are resolute and sure. And Graves nods to him, bursting with pride at just how good the boy is.

He's so glad that he restocked his potion cabinet this week. Otherwise he's not sure he would have had everything. The bone growth potion is too much for a sprain, but he has a book on how to dilute certain potions, and he pulls his cauldron out to begin his work.

Credence watches, captivated as he works, and Graves can't help but act a little flashy. He pours liquids in with a flare and, uses his wand to dice and cut herbs instead of doing it by hand. While he lets the potion simmer for 15.5 minutes, he grabs a mug and fills it with coffee, sugar and crème, handing it to Credence as he sits beside him.

"So you fell in the lake." He says, moving some still damp hair out of his face. "Did someone push you?"

Credence sips the hot drink gratefully, but stops at the question. He shakes his head softly and lowers the mug. "I—just fell."

Graves nods. "And the bruises and cuts?"

Credence blushes. Some of the bruises were too old to have just happened today and Graves can almost hear the gears in his mind working to come up with a story. He's shocked at the answer, however.

"Ma. She punished me for talking back to her." The words are whispered and accompanied by a blush.

"She…she beats you?" Graves can actually feel the shock wear off and the angry beast rise back into his stomach at the thought of it. How dare that old hag touch his Omega. She should be thrown in jail. Worse, she should be tried in Wizard court for touching a wizards Omega. How could anyone even think about hurting such a sweet and devoted—

"Mr. Graves? Your potion is smoking purple."

He growls as he shoves away from the table, and goes to pour the potion into a jar for Credence to take. He waits for it to cool down a bit, and then hands the jar to the boy.

"It's not going to taste very good, but just drink it in one gulp."

Credence obeys and he winces at the disgusting taste, but manages not to spit it out. He sits the now empty jar on the table and Graves sees the moment that his knee mends. His eyes close in a sharp pain, but immediately re-open in relief.

"Oh." He says softly. "Wow."

Graves smiles and pets his damp hair. "Proof that all magic isn't bad."

Credence smiles shyly as Graves kneels in front of him again. The Alpha pulls the chair close to him and stares up into the wide brown eyes.

"I think you should stay with me, tonight."

Credence shakes his head. "Ma will be expecting me back." He looks down at his feet and Graves lifts his chin softly.

"What if I speak to your mother? Tell her I want to train you as my apprentice?" He hesitates to admit that he'd been coming up with this plan all week. After all he was supposed to stop thinking about Credence—he wasn't sure he'd ever see the boy again.

"You're…apprentice?" Credence says gently.

Graves nods. "Obviously, we'd have to tell her I did something other than what I really do. She wouldn't go for becoming a Wizards apprentice I'm guessing."

Credence shakes his head furiously. "No, she wouldn't."

"Then we'll tell her I work in a bank, or law firm. Surely she would be happy to see you taken under the wing of a banker, or law person."

Credence thinks for a moment and then shakes his head, slower this time.

"I don't think it'll work. She wants me to be part of the church."

Graves sighs and stands up, rubbing his eyes exhaustedly. He should just go erase all of this woman's memories of Credence and be done with it.

"What if you were still part of the church? And just lived with me?"

Credence shrugs. "Do most people live with their apprentices?"

Hell if he'd know. Graves never thought about that. He just wants Credence around him. Even if he refuses to let him claim him, he just wants the company. And he's 98% sure the boy's a wizard and that actually does need to be dealt with.

"What if…what if we just stay in touch?" Credence offers gently. "I could meet you when we're out handing out leaflets and when my pre-Heat sets in, I can go with you?"

It's not enough. It won't allow them to be together as much as he wants. He wants to prevent Credence being beaten, not just fix him after it's happened. He groans.

"I—I don't think there's another way, Mr. Graves." Credence says a little more confidently. " I think if my Ma sees you around, she'll get used to you. And she doesn't care that I disappear during Heat, so that won't matter. But maybe you could come to church and—"

"Come to a church preaching the evils of magic? We went over the fact that I'm a wizard, right?"

Credence blushes and looks back down. Damn. He really needs to stop doing that to the boy. He pets his head and tilts his head back up. "Go on, I'm sorry."

"It's just that I…well, I don't…" Credence can't quite get the words out, and Graves honestly can't even help him because he doesn't know where he's going with this.

"I don't want to go back to the way it was. I liked being your Omega and I liked watching you do magic." He says all of this in one breath and his face is determined and honest. It's the sexiest thing Graves has ever seen him do. Being confident and telling him what he wants. Just wow.

He nods and paces as he thinks. There's got to be a better arrangement than just meeting secretly in alleys and faking his enthusiasm for a ridiculous church.

"Mr. Graves?"

He looks at Credence and smiles sadly. "I think, for now, you may be right. I don't need your mother looking into me, because honestly she'll find what she's looking for. And if you really don't want to leave her, then I won't make you."

Credence takes a shaky breath and nods softly.

"But I wish you'd tell me why you won't leave her." Graves says gently. Credence blushes again and shrugs. Graves sighs and shakes his head. "Very well, you keep your secrets."

Credence takes another sip from the now warm coffee and sighs softly. "I think I'd better go."

"If I can promise that your mother will not punish you, would you please consider staying?" Graves pets his damp hair again, grinning when Credence leans in to the touch and purrs. It's a long moment before the boy responds.

"It's not fear of punishment. I just—I need to go."

Graves forces himself not to growl or huff. He can do this. He can make sure Credence is safe and still let him go back to that woman. "Alright."

Credence smiles weakly and then stands, motioning down to his naked body. Graves smiles, letting his eyes linger long enough to make the blush crawl from Credence's face down to his chest, before waving his wand and clothing the boy in his now dry clothes. He taps the coat softly with his wand and then presses a gentle kiss to Credence's cheek.

"The coat is enchanted. It will keep you completely warm, and the charm will wear off in the presence of No-Maj's." He uses his wand to fully dry his hair and then smiles at the young face.

Credence smiles back, gripping Grave's shirt tightly. "D-don't forget…we can meet when I'm working."

Graves nods and pulls him into a hug. "I'll see you on Monday. I'll find you around noon."

Credence nods, and clings into the hug so tightly that Graves almost abandons the plan and just takes him upstairs to ravish him to their hearts content. But he shakes the thought aside. Credence doesn't want that. He wants to go back to that horrible woman. He keeps the hug going until Credence finally loosens his grip.

The Omega his breathing hard and not quite making eye contact. "I should go."

Graves doesn't respond. The last time he responded, Credence just disappeared without another word. He wasn't going to let that happen again. The boy takes his hand and they walk out of the kitchen and into the foyer. He stands staring at the door for a few moment before turning and smiling at Graves.

"Monday." He says sternly. And Graves smiles back, taking his chin and kissing him proper.

"Monday."


	4. Chapter 4- Credence

Chapter 4- Credence

Credence pulls his jacket tight to his body as he steps outside. It's the first time he's been outside since Graves found him up that tree. He winces at the thought of Graves. He had known it wasn't going to last, he had to get home to his sister, but he hadn't realized how obligated Graves had felt.

It's not so bad though, getting to spend his entire Heat with an Alpha had been pure delight even if it was just to get him through. It was still kind of the Alpha to do it. He had just thought—No. No use getting himself upset over things he couldn't change.

It takes him a while to figure out where he is, and by the time he makes it home, it's completely dark. He pauses outside his mother's door—preparing himself for the disgusted looks and lecture on how sinful Omegas were. When he knocks, his mother opens the door and all he can see is the anger in her eyes.

"It's been a week, Credence." She says in her false calm voice. He nods, looking down and waiting for whatever is next.

"You have never been gone so long. I fear that the sin inside you got the better of you this time."

He doesn't respond. He can feel his heart rate increase and fights the urge to cry at the words. He had known they were coming, and they still hit him like daggers.

"Repenting will wash you clean." She steps aside and he moves past her, his eyes still down as he hears the door shut behind her. "You'll work the morning shift at the church," She says, walking past him. He looks up and watches her move around the kitchen. "You'll help hand out flyers during lunch hour, help prepare the evening meal, and clean the church in the evening."

He doesn't speak. That's an entire days worth of work—far too much for any one person, but he can't argue. "Go upstairs, Credence. You've missed the meal for this evening."

It's a hunger sentence. The morning shift was on cooking duty, but his mother was absolutely ruthless about the amount of food that was provided. If one biscuit, one helping of porridge was gone, she'd know, and Credence would be punished. The lunch meal was the same. He'd be preparing it, but if one scrap of food was missing, he'd get a whipping. It was the evening meal where he'd be allowed whatever miniscule morsel his mother allowed him.

He moves quickly upstairs, not looking his mother in the eye as he does. It's not the first punishment he's had to survive.

He shares a room with his sister. It's small and dark with one window which faces a brick wall, but it's home. The two beds are pushed against opposite walls, but the cramped space throws privacy right out of the window. He can hear Modesty's breathing as he shuts the door, and he smiles as he recognizes the uneven sign of awake.

"I'm home, Modesty." He says gently. The young girl gasps and throws her blankets off, running to him and gripping him in a tight hug.

"Credence!" She whispers happily, "I'm so glad you're back. Ma said you might be gone for good this time." Her voice changes at the words, somber and a little sad.

He wraps his arms around her and smiles. "Don't you worry, I'm not going anywhere."

The young girl sighs, looking up at him with a smile and he gasps. Her cheek just below her eye is puffy and purple. He kneels down quickly and pulls her face to his so he can examine the bruise. "What happened?"

She shies away from his touch and shrugs. She doesn't need to say it. He knows already. Living in the same room means, in their mother's mind, that Modesty should be able to recognize when Credence is about to go through Heat. And the fact that he somehow disappears is always Modesty's fault. It doesn't matter that Modesty isn't presented yet, it doesn't matter that their mother _prefers_ him to be gone. All that matters is that they share a room, Credence is gone, and now Modesty will have to take over his chores as well as her own.

He sighs at the thought. It's definitely healing, but at some point it must have been very painful. He takes a breath and reaches down to examine her hands—their mother's favorite place to whip and beat them since it doesn't really show to onlookers. Her hands are bloodied and scarred, fresh welts where she was punished.

He winces. It's his fault that she has to go through this every Heat. If he would just stay then at least Modesty would be protected from blame. Yes their mother would probably make his life hell, and probably kick him out anyway, but at least then it was her idea and not Modesty's fault.

Modesty smiles at him, wide and bright and despite the terrible state of their lives and he smiles back.

"Credence, I kept some biscuits for you."

His smile is a mixture of gratefulness and reprimand. Stealing food from evening meal was easier than the others, but it was still tricky, and so very risky. She shouldn't have done it.

He takes the food from her outstretched hand and presses a kiss to her forehead, tucking her in. He eats the biscuits quickly, swallowing them down even though he should probably keep some for tomorrow. He pushes the thought aside and eats the last of the food, sighing as he changes into his pajamas and slides into his hard bed on the other side of the room.

Her breathing has evened out now, and he knows she's fallen asleep. He smiles at the thought of her sneaking food for him. The risk of getting caught has always pushed him to refrain, but Modesty has always had an impressive talent for it.

His last thought before falling asleep is of Mr. Graves. He wonders what he's doing. Probably cleaning the kitchen with his wand, and drawing himself a bath. He's not sure that Mr. Graves took baths regularly, but during his heat it was a nightly event for them. The hot water would relax Credence's muscles—soothing the ache and causing him to groan in pleasure. They'd always end up having sex though; in the tub, on the floor, on the sink…

Credence feels his eyes flutter shut at the wonderful memories, and he drifts into a light fitful sleep.

The morning comes too soon for Credence. He apologizes to Modesty for the early hour and tells her to go back to sleep as he gets ready to go to the church. It's cold in their small room and he shivers thinking fondly of Mr. Graves' warm bed and crackling fire.

By the time he makes it down to the church, he's decided that Mr. Graves might as well be imaginary. There's no use obsessing over their time together. He had only been kind enough to get him through Heat; it wasn't like he actually liked him or anything.

He takes a breath and grabs the broom from its spot in the corner. He doesn't have time to think of Mr. Graves anyway. He has a lot of sweeping to do.

/

As the days draw slowly past, Credence feels like he might actually die from the hunger. Modesty tries to sneak him food, but it's never very much and it never gets the hunger to go away completely. He's actually relieved when he wakes up with no pain in his stomach. He knows it's not a good sign, but he can't bring himself to care when the past few days all he could think about was how hungry he was.

Work could usually keep his mind off of food, but part of his punishment includes making the three meals that they serve. He doesn't dare take food during the breakfast or lunch meals, as his mother is always watching painfully close. But every once in a while—the hustle and bustle of the evening meal leaves him with an opportunity to grab an extra roll and shove it into his pockets for later. But even so, it's still never enough.

A week has passed since his return and, despite the hunger pangs disappearing; his work is starting to suffer from lack of energy. He's receiving more and more frequent smacks on the head or slaps across the cheek due to 'lazy' work, and he's honestly not sure how much longer he can make it.

He's started the morning meal a little early and he looks longingly into the pot of warm oatmeal. It's bland stuff, just oats and water, but it's warm and hearty and maybe just a spoonful…

He shouldn't, he knows he shouldn't, but it smells so good and he's not far from keeling over with dizziness. He takes a spoon and dips it in.

"What do you think you're doing, Credence?" His eyes flash up to his mother, who's standing in the doorway calmly.

"I—I was just stirring the oatmeal." He lies softly. She stares at him for a long moment. He hadn't had the spoon up to his mouth or anything, so there's always the off chance that he could have been telling the truth. But he knows she would never give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Go into my room." Her voice is sickly sweet and wickedly menacing. He shudders as he sets the spoon back on the counter and pads softly toward her room, feeling her eyes on the back of his head.

"Belt." She says softly, as she closes the door behind them.

It's the worst beating he's ever had. She loses control and begins beating his head, his neck and shoulders. She unfolds the belt and lets the metal buckle add to the blows as she really goes for it—pouring all of her hatred for the filthy Omega into it.

He's sobbing quietly, face bloodied and stinging when he feels a new sort of pain strike his back. It's the broom handle, slamming down over his already bruised skin so badly that he thinks he might pass out. Just when he's sure he can't handle anymore, she stops. Her breath is coming out quickly and she takes a moment to straighten her dress.

"Go to the lake and clean up. You're not on food duty since I can't trust you to not steal, but I still need you to clean before the service." She leaves him there, door open slightly as he sobs, trembling weakly.

He tries several times to get up, but he can never manage it. His back is on fire, and there's a terrible pain in his knee where she lost control and began kicking. His tears are making the fresh wounds on his face sting and he knows that if he can just make it to the lake, he'll feel better.

/

He wakes up to the setting sun light. He's shivering, soaking wet and it takes him a moment to figure out where he is. The lake. He doesn't remember getting up from his beating, but he must have.

He groans as his puts pressure on his arms to lift himself up. Sunset…he's been gone all day. Or at least, he can't remember anything after blacking out in the room.

He struggles to his feet, hissing in pain as he puts weight on his knee. He's freezing! And his head is throbbing. Every movement is pain as he staggers out of the water to figure out where he is.

He recognizes the buildings. He's not far from Mr. Graves' house. He shakes the thought out of his mind as he limps painfully out of the water. He's not sure how Mr. Graves would react to him showing up at his door. From his knowledge of Alphas, they wouldn't be too happy to have a nasty little Omega showing up at their house a week after the Heat ended. But Credence remembers Mr. Graves mentioning something about Wizards being different.

His mind was too focused on his Heat at the time and is currently too focused on pain to really remember what the Alpha had said, but before he really knows what he's doing, he's heading in the direction of the house, wincing in pain with every step.

The door is what stands out to him. Gold in color and so grand it looks like it belongs on the front of a mansion. Credence hobbles up the steps and takes a deep shuddering breath. He can do this. Mr. Graves had been so kind. He holds his breath as he rings the doorbell, jumping slightly at the loud sound.

He feels his knees tremble when he hears Mr. Graves voice. So clear and seemingly close, telling him to come in. He pushes the door open with a wince and hobbles inside.

"Is the floo network down or—Credence?"

He swoons at the sound of his name on the Alpha's lips and Graves is there, holding him up as he trembles through an apology.

Mr. Graves is far too kind to him. He's very aware of the fact as the Alpha uses his wand and begins healing his wounds. Credence isn't sure he quite believed that Mr. Graves was truly a wizard until this very moment. Sure he had used magic to cook and clear things away and other house hold chores, but those could have all been tricks. This though—this was real.

He purrs as the Alpha touches his bruised skin, healing them instantly and causing relief to flood through his body. He doesn't even really mind the third degree that he's getting from Graves because just the presence is soothing and he hadn't realized how much he had missed the Alpha.

His touches are gentle and as the Alpha moves from bruise to bruise, Credence can feel his heart pound faster. He's pretty sure that he'd be this worked up without the magic, though. Just being touched so gently, like he's something special—it makes him tremble.

They get through his healing and he's standing in front of Graves naked, trying hard to make him understand why he can't just stay. It's not that he doesn't want to. He really _really does!_ But he can't leave Modesty. She's only eight, and he's the only person in the world who cares for her. Sure their mother prefers her to him, but he's completely okay with that. When he's gone, her anger turns to Modesty, and if taking a few beatings is the price to keep his sister safe, then so be it.

But he can't tell Graves. He can't tell anyone. If anyone found out how they were treated behind closed doors, then he'd be fine, but Modesty? She'd be shipped off to an orphanage, doomed for a life in work houses and sweat shops. He wouldn't be able to protect her there. Not like he can at home. So he keeps his mouth shut when Graves keeps asking why he wants to stay with his mother.

He finally relents and they agree to meet on Monday. Graves says he'll find him, and Credence knows he will. He's looking forward to it so much, yet he can't actually make himself leave the house. He's just missed him so much. He hadn't really had a chance to think about Graves in detail during the last week, but the Alpha had often filtered into his thoughts when he'd think about how comfortable he had been during his Heat. Food whenever he wanted, cool water to drink, hot showers, a pool and even a radio to listen to. It was absolute Heaven. He had been shaking the thoughts away when he'd found himself daydreaming. It's not like they had discussed anything. And Graves had practically shoved him out the door when his Heat was over—but now. Seeing how the Alpha had missed him, seeing how happy he was to see him now, he couldn't help but wonder what it'd be like to actually stay.

He grips at Mr. Graves shirt, kneading the material as he stressed over leaving. God he just wanted to stay! Wants to go upstairs to the ancient part of the house and snuggle up in the soft bed surrounded by the comforting smell of his Alpha.

"Credence?"

He looks up. Mr. Graves is looking at him; concern written over his handsome features. He can't stay. Modesty needs him.

"Sorry…I guess I'm a little distracted." He says softly, still tugging slightly at the shirt.

Mr. Graves smiles kindly and reaches up to cup Credence's jaw, tilting his head and pressing warm lips to his. Credence whimpers into it, his knees turning to jelly as the delicate action fills his stomach with butterflies.

"Stay…" The words are deep and rumble in the Alphas throat, causing the Omega inside of him to beg to submit. But he can't! He sighs, nuzzling his head into Mr. Graves's neck.

"I can't."

Mr. Graves sighs, clearly upset at the unchanged response. He presses another soft kiss to Credence's lips and then smiles, rubbing the back of his neck soothingly.

"Monday, then."

By the time he's almost home, he's thoroughly exhausted. He cries softly as he walks home, clinging to the warm jacket and inhaling deeply to try and get any lasting scent of the Alpha.

His mother is waiting for him when he gets home, and he immediately feels the warmth disappear. She whips him with a switch from a tree, causing fresh gashes to form on his back and neck. He had been gone all day and most of the evening when he had known she needed him. He takes it.

When he finally crawls into his bed, back throbbing, he can hear the soft breathing from his sister across the room. He knows that if he had stayed away, this beating would have gone to her, and he's grateful that he had the willpower to pull himself away from Mr. Graves in the end.

/

On Monday morning, Credence wakes up to the sweet relief of his punishment being over. He's still on meal duty, but his stomach is full of bread from last night and he's even been given some left over bread for this morning. It's not much, but he's used to that; it's never been much.

During lunch, he and Modesty are set to leaflet duty around the block; their mother preaching loudly as onlookers gather. They hand out the leaflets enthusiastically as people begin forming a small crowed around her, and by the time he's run out of them, he and Modesty have been separated by the numbers.

He's just about to go and look for her when he hears a loud 'crack' down a nearby alley way. The noise makes him jump, but he's heard that sound before, and his eyes roll backwards as he smells Mr. Graves's familiar scent on the air.

"Credence."

His heart rate doubles and he can feel his body vibrate as he hurries down the alley to wear Mr. Graves is. He throws his arms around the musky, calm smelling Alpha before remembering himself and pulling away, heat rising to his cheeks.

Mr. Graves chuckles, wrapping his arms around him and Credence feels the reliving touch turn into agony as his whipped back is touched. He hisses violently at the pain and he groans as the painfully wonderful arms drop immediately from their embrace.

Mr. Graves face changes from concern, to angry, to impatient. Credence feels the heat in his cheeks burn stronger as he casts his eyes down to the ground again. It's not the first time Graves has dealt with his mother's cruelty up close, but there's always something so shameful about admitting to the Alpha, that he's unable to protect himself. Graves smoothes his hands down Credence's back and the sting immediately disappears. Credence isn't sure he'll ever get used to that.

"I was going to ask how you've been, but judging by the state of your back, I can guess." Mr. Graves says darkly.

Credence sighs, shrugging gently as the pain free feeling floods over him in a wave of relief. "It wasn't too bad. I shouldn't have broken curfew."

Mr. Graves shakes his head and is about to say something when they hear a soft voice from just beyond the alley way.

"Credence? Mother wants us to finish the leaflets and get back to the church for midday meal."

Credence jumps at the voice, putting a good amount of space between himself and Mr. Graves. He's not afraid Modesty will say anything; he just doesn't want her to get the wrong idea…or the right one.

He smiles at his sister, nodding his head gently. "Alright, Modesty. You go back, and I'll meet you in just a minute."

They both watch as the young girl heads back into the crowd of people. "My sister." He explains simply. "I really should be getting back."

Mr. Graves stares after the girl for a long time before answering. Credence can practically see his mind at work—figuring out his reasoning for not wanting to stay with him. Understanding floods over his handsome features and he looks to Credence calmly.

"Your sister?" The question seems to have a double meaning, also asking if 'your sister?' is the reason you can't stay with me. Credence doesn't respond, just keeps his eyes cast down as the older man works through his thoughts. "How old is she?"

He looks at Mr. Graves with a confused tilt to his head. Why does he want to know her age? Probably trying to think of places to send her to get her away from their mother. "Eight" He says cautiously. His mother was awful, but as long as he was around, Modesty was safe.

"I really should get back." He says again, taking a step back to leave the alley. Mr. Graves nods and then shakes his head, smiling at him.

"I've brought you some food." He says, taking a small parcel from his jacket and shoving it into Credence's hand. "You're looking thin."

Credence smiles as he looks at the parcel. "Thank you."

Mr. Graves grins, reaching up and patting his jaw gently. "Why don't we meet again on Thursday? I can bring more. Enough for your sister too."

Credence gets the feeling that Mr. Graves is interested in Modesty for some reason, but he can't figure out why. It could also just be that he hadn't realized Credence had a sister and is just shocked, but Credence can't shake the feeling that Mr. Graves was assessing her. He agrees to the Thursday meeting and watches as Mr. Graves disappears with another crack.

Despite the odd feeling, he can't get the grin off of his face as he comes out of the alley and back onto the still crowded street.

/

His time with Mr. Graves is never enough. The man shows up in the Alley they've agreed on, always with food on hand. While he eats, Mr. Graves always stays close, letting his scent roll over the young Omega so that his nerves are calm. It's like being offered fresh, cool water after hiking through a desert.

Their meetings always have Credence wide eyed, and mystified as Mr. Graves delves into details of what he's doing at work. His job is so interesting, and the seemingly dull stories captivate Credence on a basic level.

Mr. Graves travels all the time, popping back and forth between Europe and New York in a matter of seconds. He even brings Credence some sweets from abroad sometimes.

He even seems to take interest in Credence's week. Which is absolutely dismal in comparison. Credence tells him about work, and about the church and how his mother treats him, but he always tries to make it light. It's something he's used to—he's aware that it's bad, but it could always be worse.

Mr. Graves always magically heals his wounds and presses soft lips to his neck, his nose pressed against Credence's scent gland just below his ear. It always makes Credence tremble, and often fall slack in Mr. Graves' arms.

The Alpha seems to enjoy that part, grinning and cooing softly that "it's okay", and "no harm done."

Mr. Graves has even taken to licking over the sensitive part of his neck where a claiming mark would go. He can smell the desperate want of the Alpha every time, and it takes almost every ounce of energy he has to keep from craning his neck and telling him to do it.

It's always over much too soon. They'll hear his mother call for him or his sister, and he pulls away from the Alpha reluctantly. It gets harder and harder each time, but he forces himself to think of Modesty. And as soon as he thinks of her alone with their mother, he finds the will to break contact.

/

Credence starts having nightmares again. They're always the same. He's flying, powerful and menacing over the streets. Destroying cars and street lights as he passes them, just for fun. He's finally free and not held down by anything, not even a body! And it's amazing.

These nightmares, for lack of a better word, he knows are somewhat real. He can't explain how or why, but he knows that the disturbances around the town and his dreams are connected. His mother is slowly becoming obsessed with the disturbances, as they're obviously magic, and for some reason her confidence is making the dreams happen more often.

She manages to get some fancy newspaper man interested in her theory behind the issues around town, and they, as a family, go to the editor to pitch the idea to him. He's nervous the entire time. He's painfully aware of how crazy they seem, and he kind of wishes his mother would tone it down. Lunacy is a good way to lose custody of Modesty, and that is the last thing he needs to worry about right now.

He's lost in his own thoughts when they're suddenly being shouted at to leave the office. He jumps as they're ushered out and he loses grip of one of his leaflets.

"Hey boy!"

He jumps again, turning submissively towards the loud spoken Alpha, who has picked up the leaflet and walking towards him. He reaches out tentatively to take it when the man comes in close. He doesn't make eye contact, choosing to stare at the ground instead.

"Don't forget this, freak." The man shoves the paper into his chest, and Credence grunts at the blow. "Now get out, you filthy little Omega."

Credence sees red. He's no stranger to bullying, but the taunt seems to be aimed at not only him, but his family too—including Modesty. Gentle, sweet, caring Modesty. He can feel the anger rise inside of him as he's practically shoved out of the news office behind his family.

His mother is undeterred and she seems confident that as the disturbances continue, people will begin to see reason.

This time, he's so sure it's not a dream. He's sitting in the church, looking up at the altar when he feels his body change. The powerful feeling he has in his dreams slowly takes over, and he's soon flying down the streets of New York, flipping cars, smashing windows and tearing up pavement.

He's so angry! That man doesn't even know him! He doesn't have to agree with the theory, he doesn't have to believe in magic, but there was no reason to be so nasty, especially when they had been invited there by the editors other son!

He lets out a fierce cry and it comes out as a shriek gust of wind. He's picking up speed and he knows exactly where he wants to release his rage. Knows the exact face he wants to smash up and beat until it's unrecognizable.

/

The news of the candidate for Senators death spreads rapidly. Eye witnesses are so scared and crazed that their stories clash. Police are having a difficult time trying to figure out fact from terror induced imagination. And Credence—well he knows.

He can't explain how he did it. But he knows it was him. He murdered the Senator.

He wakes up the morning after it happens in a cold sweat. He's in his bed, and still shaking with anger when he hears the news boys yelling the headlines of the murder from outside. He freezes in fear and holds his breath to hear the rest of the headline.

"PEOPLES CHOICE FOR SENATOR. DEAD! MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING DEATH!"

No no no no! It's impossible! How—there was no way! How could he have murdered someone? He was here the whole time…

But he knows he wasn't. He remembers changing, remembers growing steadily angrier all day until his body had transformed and gone after the young man looking for blood. And he remembers how good it had felt.

He shivers. He's a murderer.

/

His meetings with Graves are his only sense of joy. Seeing the man calms his soul, and when the man reaches up and presses solid, strong hands to his jaw he can feel the stress seep out of him. Even talking to him makes him feel better. He obviously can't tell him about his changing, because he's pretty sure even a Wizard would find that odd, but apparently the Wizards are just as confused about the destruction as the no-maj's are. Knowing that even powerful people with magic at their fingertips aren't on to him, gives him a sense of relief that nothing else does.

But even knowing that he's semi safe, doesn't keep the bad feelings at bay.

Credence stops eating. All he can think about is the look of terror on the face of the Senator as he squeezed the life out of him with barely any effort. He remembers how good it felt, how the man had deserved it. But then he doubts.

It's not like the Senator was wrong. He really is a freak. And he had a promising career ahead of him—maybe had a family—and now, thanks to Credence, the thin thread that held the man to this world had been snipped.

He huddles into himself, rocking gently in the corner of his bed while Modesty sleeps, sobbing silently into his arm.

He's so confused and exhausted. One minute he's glad he killed the cruel man. The second he's questioning everything he's ever known. Graves had once told him that he could be a Wizard. So if what was happening to him was magic, then surely magic truly was evil. If it could do what he did to the Senator then there was no doubt it was dangerous. And those who yielded it were dangerous.

But on the other hand, Graves wasn't evil. He was kind, and gentle. Always giving Credence food and touching him, letting him inhale his scent deeply and thoroughly to calm his nerves. And as he thinks of how amazing Graves is—he remembers how terrible he is. How he doesn't deserve such a kind Alpha. How Graves is swamped at work trying to figure out what happened to the Senator, when Credence could tell him flat out.

He groans softly as he continues to sob and he pulls his arms and legs as close to his body as possible. He's shaking and trying desperately to keep the bad thoughts from surfacing, when he feels his body changing again. The power floods through him, burning his skin like paper and dissolving into wisps of smoke until he's soaring over the streets again.

/

He stops showing up in the alley. It's not that he doesn't want to see Mr. Graves. It's just that he can't trust himself anymore. What if he changes in front of him? Would Graves be forced to use magic and kill him? Or would he lose control and kill Mr. Graves? What if he slipped up and accidentally told Graves about the Senator? It's too risky. He can't afford to let anything like that happen.

Mr. Graves starts showing up while he's working, and it's all Credence can do not to run into those strong arms and inhale deeply as the Alpha shushes him into calming down. But he's made a decision and he's going to stick to it. Mr. Graves is better off out of his life. So he ducks his head and shuffles away, moving back to where his mother and Modesty are. Mr. Graves never follows, and Credence can always hear the distinct 'crack' of the Wizard disappearing.

It's killing him to be cruel to the Alpha, but things are so fucked up. He can't focus on anything for more than a few minutes and he feels so wrapped up in what he's done, that it's all he can do to keep himself functioning. He has to figure this out. He has to get himself back on track-for Modesty.

"Credence…" Mr. Graves has shown up again. His eyes are pleading, hand stretched out to Credence in an overwhelmingly welcoming gesture. "Please."

Credence chokes on a sob. He can smell the worry on Mr. Graves; it's thick and strong, and he knows that it's his fault. He takes a step toward the Alpha. It won't hurt to just touch him- and then is suddenly overcome with the shame and gloom that he's grown so accustom to over the past weeks. He steps away, looking at the ground and shaking his head.

He hears Mr. Graves whimper. It's barely audible, but it's there. He looks up, staring into the dark eyes and wanting desperately to bury himself in the comforting smell of the Alpha. But he doesn't deserve to. He takes a step back, his breath coming in puffs as he tries to keep from crying. "No…" his voice is barely a whisper, rough and torn. He turns away from Mr. Graves. He can't.


End file.
